Beach Wedding – Passports and RSVP Postcards DIY

I went all out on the DIY for my beach wedding four years ago. My colors were sunset orange and sky blue and my theme was literally our beach destination – from the vintage Florida postcard stamps I created at Zazzle.com to my signature hibiscus on my cake, stamps, and invitations, as well as the beach themed music and food. My guests received a big ‘ol box including sunscreen, airline ticket invitations, a passport, and an RSVP postcard.

The Passport

I posted my diy airline ticket invitations {complete with a downloadable template file} a few months ago, and have had several requests to see more of what I put together for my big day. Besides the airline ticket invitations, the passport that I included in the invitation box was the biggest undertaking.

I created a cover for the passport on thick paper using my signature orange color and a printed texture to give the look of an actual leather passport. Inside, I used thin pages like a real passport, bound by a sewing machine, filled with 11 pages of info including where to stay, my contact info, a timeline for the big day and a fun map to show my guests where to go for the wedding and then reception. I even printed cancellation stamps on the background of the pages, just as you’d see in a real traveler’s passport. Every page for every passport was cut by hand using my cutterpede.

I used a lot of clipart from Microsoft and pasted them into Photoshop as vector images to create this map. Rings and hearts show where the wedding will take place, and a big cake shows where the reception will take place, all at Carillon Beach, Florida, a beach house rental community. I’ve also highlighted the hotel on property where my guests may like to stay.

The event details coordinates with the map to show guests where to go and when. The general info lets people know where to park and how to dress.

The RSVP Postcard

I downloaded a blank postcard template at VistaPrint.com and designed these “Greetings From Carillon” postcard RSVPs in my signature orange and blue colors. Upload the front and back designs as separate images, and they mail you a stack of postcards, in proper mailing dimensions, a few days later. It couldn’t be easier.

This is the backside of the RSVP postcard. Guests simply fill in their name and drop the pre-stamped post card in the mail. Like the vintage Florida postcard stamps I used on my invitation boxes, I also created this stamp at Zazzle.com using my signature hibiscus.

The Invitation Box

Here is the completed invitation box. I tried to use materials that were a little beachy and natural from the matte brown tape used to seal the box to the elixir used to fill it. The boxes were matte white in dimensions just big enough to hold the airline ticket invitations, passport, postcards and sunscreen.

Pics From Our Day

Because I couldn’t help myself, here are a few pics from our big day. Sorry in advance for the pic overload, but I just couldn’t choose a few favorites from Paul Johnson’s beautiful photography. Our wedding was also featured in the 2009 edition of The Knot magazine which was beyond exciting!

Our rings on our wedding date.

My beach wedding orange orchid bouquet with a crystal crab brooch.

I used a shell as my beach wedding ring bearer pillow.

Our groomsmen gifts – bobbleheads in their wedding attire. We gave these to the groomsmen at the rehearsal dinner, which was also my husband’s birthday, so I surprised him with one in his “likeness” too lol.

Our wedding programs on fans.

Our gazebo aisle. It was a no shoes allowed beach wedding. All of our guests were served lemonade at the top of the steps.

Girl, I was married before digital pics were popular :( haha And even if I did have any, my wedding was so plain it wouldn’t be anything you’d not seen before. Wish I could have a redo! {but with the same hubs! haha}

BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing this with us, Jen! I, for one, am *always* a sucker for weddings, but with the possibility of a “destination wedding” on my horizon, I was very interested in your passport idea for the invitations – something I’ll definitely consider!

You made for a lovely bride, and your ceremony and reception details were gorgeous!

jennifer

thank u so much! if you use the passport idea, you’ll have to let me know. i hope you’ll share pics from your big day :)

Nancy

Wow!!!! I am in awe! How beautiful and all the unique touches makes it fun but elegant! Love the lighted tables too!

jennifer

fun but elegant is EXACTLY what i was going for! im so happy you thought so :) the light up tables were my fav :)

Oh my goodness! Jennifer, this just made my day! You should also mention that your wedding has been published in the Knot too! It’s so exciting to see this blog, a new bride even sent me the link! Everything was beautiful and Rhonda still shows off your custom-designed cake that matched your entire look! What a joy it was to be a part of your day.

oh im so happy you found this post. i was going to share the link with you :) we had the time of our lives at carillon and i wouldn’t change a thing. best day ever and the most fun i’ve ever had. thank you so much for your comment and i hope to see you at carillon soon for our anniversary :)

Ooh! I did see you mentioned your wedding feature! Sorry! We still love seeing the article and brides still refer to your ‘blue house’ picture, because it was also published in Gulf Coast Bride!

Natalie

What a beautiful wedding! And such good ideas for party favours and decorations. I love the beach house photo, it’s so fun! It must have taken an insane amount of planning!

jennifer

its crazy because i booked the location in march and our wedding was the beginning of august, so i only had a few months of planning; however, every night and weekend of those months was spent at my dining room table workin on my DIY wedding, and i didn’t know what to do with myself after the day had come and gone lol. i kept feeling like i should be at the table working on something… so i started a blog, LOL.

Natalie

Ahh! So this is how it all began! Brilliant! At least you’re being productive (a lot moreso than I am!)

WOW! How fab is that?! This has to be the most polished DIY wedding I’ve ever seen!!! Everything was gorgeous and the ideas are so creative! Most people get too cheesy with themes when they DIY a wedding but this is absolutely flawless!

Aline

Where did you buy your flower girl dress? I’ve been looking all over for something like that!!

hi, i love your flower girl’s dress. can you email me where she bought it?? kkertesz@gmail.com

Lisha Cunningham

Where did you buy the bottles?

jennifer

hey lisha, the rosemary sea salt bottles? i picked them all up at michaels. they usually carry 10 at a time, so i’d buy them all and then go back the next week to buy more. are you having a beach wedding? hope this helps :)

Lauren

Very beautiful and inspiring wedding! Can you tell me where you got the flower girl dress? Darling!

I’m not really sure. I shared the idea with my decorator and I’m not sure how she ended up making it come to life. I never thought to look under the table since I was so busy running my mouth or dancing lol. I know she wanted to make sure she used something that didn’t get hot so no one would burn themselves. The reception started before dark, so it was fun to watch people notice that the tables were lit up as the sun went down. :)